


How We Used To Be

by cryptidbf, denounce



Series: People Like Us [10]
Category: L.A. Noire
Genre: Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, please excuse these boys, these fools are idiots but we love them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-03-17 20:39:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13666875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryptidbf/pseuds/cryptidbf, https://archiveofourown.org/users/denounce/pseuds/denounce
Summary: For Jack and Courtney, it's been a long time since they've last truly spoken. Now Courtney needs his help, and naturally, Jack doesn't have the heart to say no.A side-story about Jack and Courtney in the People Like Us series for L.A. Noire.





	1. How We Used To Be

**Author's Note:**

> Everybody is gay. Oops.
> 
> Anyways! Please enjoy the next installment of the People Like Us series. We'll be working on Jackney fics alongside the Stefcole fics, so don't worry about any lulls in content for either!
> 
> -oniyen

In the dead of night, Jack's phone begins to ring.

The horrible sound cuts through the apartment with ease, shrieking from his bedroom. Jack lets out a groan and reaches for the bedside table, feeling around with his eyes still shut. Then— he loses his balance and tumbles into the floor. Yeah, that woke him up. Grumbling again, he finally manages to grab the receiver and puts it to his ear. “Jack Kelso speaking,” he says, and it’s clear from his tone he doesn’t appreciate the late phone call.

“Uh—” It's Courtney. There’s the sound of shifting on the other end. “Jack. Did I wake you?”

“Generally, normal people are asleep at two in the morning,” Jack says, tone dry, “What did you do now?”

Courtney starts to speak, almost in protest, but it dies in his throat. With a slightly irritated sigh, he continues, “Alright, it's not so much as what _I_ did, more like— well.” He pauses. “Just got a brick through my window. Probably a message from Cohen and his merry band of idiots.”

Jack reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Inhales. Exhales. “Courtney,” he says, “This little habit of making enemies wherever you go is just a _tad_ bit tiring.”

“Jack, he was going to—” Courtney stops himself, letting out a frustrated noise. He goes on a moment later. “It doesn't matter. I already told you. Just— what do I do here, Jack? The window’s _bothering_ me, for one, and—”

“I swear to God, you’re a magnet for trouble,” Jack says. He uses his bedside table to support himself as he pushes up off the floor. “Let me get dressed. I can either meet you somewhere or I can come get you. Your choice.”

Courtney seems to breathe out a sigh of relief. “Can I come to your place? Uh— I don't know where it _is_ , per se, but I know it's safer than mine.” He's talking a little fast, urgently, as if he's on a time limit. “Don't want you to get hurt out here. Not that I don't trust you to defend yourself, just— yeah.”

Jack runs a hand through his hair. “I’d feel more secure if you let me drive over there, but— fine, guess I did say it was your choice,” he says, and he glances towards the window. It’d be dark outside, if not for the neon lights of the building across the street. He’d always found them to be a nuisance, but right now, they’re especially irritating. “I’m only giving you directions once, so write them down.”

“Had a notebook ready the whole time,” Courtney says, realizing his mistake a second later. “Wait— I don't mean I _planned_ this, it'd be inefficient to take out my own windows. Uh— sorry, I just—”

“You ramble a lot,” Jack says, and then he starts rattling off directions. All the while, the neon lights outside his window are adding to his growing headache. He makes a mental note to look into buying curtains. Finally, he says, “Did you get everything?”

“Yeah,” Courtney says, and it sounds like he's holding something between his teeth— a pen cap, maybe. “You're not that far from me. Alright, uh— I'll be there in a few.” The phone clicks off.

For a long moment, Jack just stares at the phone in his hand. Then, for a longer moment, he stares at his bed. God, he’s tired, but— Courtney is important. Breathing out a sigh, he rubs at his face and goes to find a pair of pants.

 

* * *

 

No less than ten minutes later, there's a knock at Jack's door. He’s quick to answer it. No surprise that Courtney’s standing there, visibly perking up once he sees Jack. “I see you made it here alive,” Jack says, moving enough that Courtney could get past him.

Courtney steps into the apartment, stopping in the threshold and taking in all that he can see in the dim light. “Guess being an investigator pays well,” he comments, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Jack shrugs and shuts the door. “I don’t really need all the space,” he says, “Thought maybe I’d eventually settle down with a nice girl, but—” He bites his tongue to keep from saying what he actually wants to say. “Hasn’t happened.”

“Oh,” Courtney hums, pausing. He turns towards Jack now, one eyebrow raised in inquiry. “Did you change your mind after— y’know?”

Jack inhales sharply. Exhales. Tries to force away some frankly very painful memories. “Yeah,” he says, “I guess that’s one way to put it.”

Courtney frowns, shifting his weight to another foot and rubbing at the back of his neck. “I almost wanna say you’re lucky,” he says, exhaling an awkward laugh. “Can’t change my mind now. Always been like this.” He stops, his voice dying in his throat as he tries to say something else. He clears his throat. “Uh— sorry. I didn’t come here to pull skeletons out of your closet. The brick _did_ happen. Just— It’s been a real long time and— I don’t know, I guess I missed you?” His tone rises at the end there, as if it’s a question to himself.

Jack just stares at him for what feels like a very long moment. Then, he averts his gaze and runs a hand through his already disheveled hair. Tries to push away _different_ thoughts. “I mean,” he says, “I haven’t really changed my mind. Just— seems more convenient to fake my way through life.” He swallows hard. In an instant, he’s lost every word he knows. Well, every word but one: _fuck_. “I don’t know.”

“You haven’t?” Courtney’s hand drops to his side, eyebrows raised. He breathes out a relieved sigh. “Jesus, Jack, I was—” _Scared._ He stops before he can dig himself into a deeper hole. “Uh— nevermind. Good to know.” Oh, God, that’s even worse. Courtney squeezes his eyes shut, putting his head in his hands. “I should stop talking.”

“It’s fine,” Jack says. He bites his tongue again to keep from saying something he shouldn’t. Something about how _cute_ Courtney’s rambling is. No, that stays in his head. “You’re fine. Keep talking.”

Courtney’s arms drop back to his sides, staring at Jack. He swallows hard. “I just— it’s been a long time, but I miss what we— what we had, I guess.” His eyes drop down to his feet, almost shamefully. “We’ve changed. The world’s changed. We can never go _back_ , but— I don’t know, I was hoping we could make something new. Y’know, in memory of how we used to—”

Jack cuts him off by moving to push him up against the door and kiss him— almost a little roughly. Courtney makes a noise in surprise, muffled by Jack’s lips. He squeezes his eyes shut and grabs Jack by his shirt, pulling him in even closer. Jack responds all-too-eagerly, hands dropping to find Courtney’s waist. God, he’d missed this. He’d missed _Courtney_. Courtney’s holding his shirt so tightly that his knuckles are turning white— he seems to have missed Jack, too. He opens his mouth a little more to allow Jack easier access. Jack takes the initiative to deepen the kiss, but it’s not for long— they need air.

Courtney breaks away first, inhaling deeply and pressing a few small kisses to Jack’s lips. “I missed you—” Another kiss. “—so goddamn much, Jack.”

“I—” Jack bites his tongue. Why is it so hard to say something so simple? “I missed this. I missed you.” He quickly kisses him again and then continues. “I’m glad you called me.”

“You’re the only person I _trust_ ,” Courtney mumbles, his lips mere inches from Jack’s.

Jack hums and it seems like he’s going back in for another kiss— but instead, he drops his lips to Courtney’s neck. He starts slowly, gently— then, he bites. Yeah, that’s gonna leave a mark later. _Perfect_. Courtney inhales sharply, shakily. “Jack—” His voice cracks, and he bites his lip to suppress himself. “Are your walls thin?”

“Neighbors can hear everything,” Jack mumbles against his neck, “but I don’t care. Let them.” He trails kisses up to Courtney’s jaw before moving to kiss him on the lips again— rougher than before. Courtney can’t suppress his sounds now— he can feel Jack against him, and it’s driving him insane. He finally lets it go, breathing out a loud moan. Jack uses that as an opportunity to deepen the kiss before breaking away again and saying, “Jesus, I can’t believe how easy it is to get you this weak.”

Courtney scoffs. “You’ve been hard this whole time,” he shoots back.

“Somehow I forgot you like to talk back,” Jack says dryly, and he closes the gap between them again. If the way his hands are fumbling with the buttons of Courtney’s shirt are any indication, he’s starting to get impatient.

Courtney, however, grabs Jack’s hands, pulling away with a devious grin. He holds him there for a long, tense moment, before saying, “If there’s anything I’ve learned in med school, it’s to be patient, Jack.”

Jack gives him a _look_. He’s getting more and more frustrated by the minute. “I hate you,” he breathes out, and he pulls his hands out of Courtney’s grip. Right back to unbuttoning his shirt with even more determination. While he’s doing that, Courtney shrugs off his jacket, pulling Jack into another deep kiss. Jack finally manages to get Courtney’s shirt completely unbuttoned, pushing it off of him and into the floor. He breaks away momentarily, but doesn’t say anything— he's struggling to string together a proper sentence again.

Courtney can’t help but laugh— a high, shaky laugh. His hands go to rest on Jack’s chest, pulling slightly on his shirt. “Cat got your tongue, Jackie?”

“Shut up,” is all Jack has to say before he’s pulling Courtney into a particularly heated kiss and stumbling back towards his bedroom, unwilling to stop.

 

* * *

 

Jack notices two things when he wakes up.

One: sunlight is streaming in through the blinds and he's suddenly shockingly aware of how _much_ he hates it.

Two: he is very much tangled up with Courtney right now.

It’s then that it hits him. God, they’d _slept_ together last night. That in itself really isn’t much of a problem, no, but— well, okay, he doesn’t actually know what the problem is. All he knows is that there _is_ a problem; he’ll figure it out what exactly it is later. He shifts slightly, not wanting to disturb Courtney, and glances at the clock on the wall.

 _Shit_. He’s an hour late for work. Fantastic. Wonderful. He loves getting lectures from his boss. Biting back a groan, he tries to untangle himself from Courtney the best he can without waking him up. It’s not exactly an easy feat and— Courtney’s stirring. Jack curses under his breath.

“What’re you doing?” Courtney murmurs, his words a little slurred. His eyes are still closed— he’s half-asleep.

“I’m late for work,” Jack says. He brushes some of Courtney’s hair out of his face and then leans over to press a kiss to his temple. “It’s fine. Go back to sleep.”

A small smile crosses Courtney’s lips, his heart fluttering at how _gentle_ Jack’s being. “You’re not kicking me out?” He shifts to face Jack, his eyes half-lidded now.

“Why would I?” Jack asks, eyebrows raised.

Courtney snorts, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand. “You’d do it during the war. But— I guess that’s different.”

“Yeah,” Jack says, and he can’t help but smile, “There’s a lot more privacy, for one thing.” He leans down to kiss Courtney again— this time, on the lips. Courtney can be felt smiling into it, one hand reaching up and resting on Jack’s shoulder.

With much hesitation, Courtney pulls away. “Don’t you need to get to work?”

Jack seems to be thinking it over. Then, he just closes the gap between them again for a brief moment. “It can wait,” he says, “I’m already late anyway.”

Courtney just laughs, pulling Jack in and resuming where they left off.


	2. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Jack wakes up due to a memory in his dreams. Goes hand-in-hand with Vice, chapter nine of Overworked.

Courtney slides onto the counter opposite to the stove, bringing his legs up and sitting there cross-legged. He takes a small sip of coffee, watching breakfast cook in front of him. This morning hasn’t been… the best. Jack had woken up in the middle of the night from a flashback, and it’s— rather difficult for him to actually _talk_ about his problems, so Courtney’s still in the dark. Well— not _completely_ in the dark. All he got was a “ _fucking Phelps_ ” before Jack decided to leave it at that.

It takes him far too long to realize that his coffee’s gone by now, lowering the mug from his lips with a slight frown. Courtney sighs, sliding off of the counter and poking the eggs with a spatula. They look good enough. “Breakfast’s almost ready,” he calls out, and the toaster dings. His mind switches to autopilot as he retrieves the two slices of toast, putting butter between them and cutting diagonally. After that, he just stands there, staring right at nothing.

 _...What am I forgetting?_ He glances around and— “Oh, right, the eggs.” He takes the spatula and pokes them a little more. Good enough. He’s so absorbed in preparing everything, going so far as to hum under his breath, that he almost doesn’t hear Jack come into the room.

He’s grumbling to himself— about what, Courtney can’t quite make out. Jack pours himself a cup of coffee and takes a swig before finally speaking up, “Sorry for waking you in the middle of the night again. Guess sometimes you just can’t escape.”

Courtney turns to face him, blinking a few times. “What? No, it’s fine,” he says, returning his attention to making sure their plates are perfect. Everything’s aligned and orderly— just as he likes it. “Don’t feel bad. I don’t have classes today, anyways.” He holds out a plate for Jack. “Here.”

Jack sets his mug aside and takes the plate, just— staring at it for a long, long moment. “Still,” he says, and his frown deepens, “I feel bad about it. It’s not like it was even anything _terrible_ , I just—” He stops. Bites his tongue. “Fuck.”

Courtney hums, staring down at his own plate. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” he says, looking back up at Jack. “If it’s about Phelps, it’s bad anyways.” He’s making his way to the table, setting down his plate and sliding into a seat. He brings his legs up to sit cross-legged again, shifting to get more comfortable as he begins to eat his toast.

“He wasn't always so bad,” Jack grumbles under his breath. He breathes out a sharp sigh before moving to do the same. He just sits there. And sits. Finally, and this statement is like pulling teeth coming from Jack, he says, “It’s bothering me, Courtney.”

Courtney looks up at him in slight surprise, stopping mid-chew. “Do you _want_ to talk about it?” He gulps down his food after that, tilting his head to one side curiously.

Jack inhales. Exhales. “I don’t know,” he says, and he absentmindedly pushes everything around his plate with his fork, “What is there to talk about? It’s not like I— I miss him or anything, but—” He lets out a frustrated sigh, dropping his fork and pushing the heels of his hands into his eyes. “ _Fuck_ , Courtney. I can’t stop _thinking_ about it. About him.”

Courtney just watches him, frowning slightly. He reaches out to place a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder. “Do you want my honest opinion?” He asks, leaning in so he can see Jack’s face.

“Go for it,” Jack mumbles.

“I think you _do_ miss him,” Courtney begins, speaking carefully, “which isn’t a problem, so to speak. He— he…” His voice dies in his throat. “He wasn’t… entirely… _fair_ to you.” It’s clear he’s holding back much harsher language. “And your whole— _experience_ with him left you with unresolved feelings.”

Jack drops his hands from his face and his frown deepens further— if that’s even possible. “If I ever see him again, I’m socking him in the jaw,” he says.

“That works,” Courtney says, taking another bite of toast. “I mean, I _shot_ him. Can’t get much worse than that.”

Despite himself, Jack lets out a snort. “I _wish_ I’d shot him,” he says, and he runs his hands back through his hair with another sigh. “Maybe I’ll do that instead of throwing a punch.”

“I don’t know, I’d rather not see you go to jail,” Courtney says, and it sounds quite genuine. He gently rubs Jack’s shoulder. “I care about you, y’know? I haven’t ever stopped.”

“I know,” Jack says, “and I—” He pauses and bites his tongue again. If admitting something’s bothering him is like pulling teeth, admitting these next words is like drowning himself. “I love you. I do.”

Courtney’s face lights up— not just with joy, no, his cheeks are a little pink as well. “Well, I’ll be,” he says, grinning wide. “I never thought I’d hear that out of you. It feels— really, really good.” He squeezes Jack’s shoulder. “I love you too. We can take it slow this time, y’know? No immediate danger or prying eyes.”

Jack nods. “Yes,” he says, “You’re right. That’s— nice. It’s nice.” He inhales sharply again. “I don’t think I want to go into work today. Just want to stay here with you and try to forget.”

Courtney smiles, reaching out and brushing a few strands of hair out of Jack’s face. “I’m gonna finish breakfast, yeah? Then I’m all yours.” He leans in to press a quick kiss to his cheek, then he moves to sit up normally and continue eating.

For a moment, Jack is silent. “Courtney. No. _Now_.”

“Oh— oh.” Courtney stares for what feels like forever, gulping down what he was eating. “I’m gonna go wash out my mouth, then— yeah. Yeah.” He laughs a bit awkwardly, pushing away from the table and moving into the kitchen. He stops at the sink, turning it on and watching the water run.

_I… think I like this version of Jack._


	3. Reward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set right as Jack comes home from finally punching Cole in the face in chapter 10 of Overworked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, this is just borderline smut.
> 
> -oniyen

Jack all but slams the door when he comes into the apartment.

God, he’s _pissed_. There was just _something_ about seeing Cole’s face again that had made him so mad. He’s not sure what it is, but— _something_. Rubbing at his face, he breathes out a frustrated sigh and moves to take his jacket off, hanging it up. “Courtney!” He calls out, “I’m home.”

“One second!” Courtney calls from the kitchen. The water shuts off— Jack didn’t even notice it was running— and soon he’s standing in the doorway to the living room, one hand on his hip. “You’re early,” he says, adjusting the apron tied around his waist. “Did something happen?”

For a moment, Jack lets himself drink in the sight of Courtney. It makes him feel better, but only slightly, as his mind keeps drifting back to the one person he doesn’t want to think about right now. Or ever, for that matter. “Something happened alright,” he says, “Remember how I told you if I ever ran into Cole I’d deck him?”

Courtney stops, tilting his head to the side and staring at Jack. “…Yeah?” He asks, slow and hesitant.

“I decked him,” Jack says, almost too simply.

Courtney stares for what feels like forever, eyes wide and impossibly blue. He reaches up and rests a hand over his steadily-reddening cheek, blinking a few times. “Holy shit,” he says finally.

Jack fights back the urge to laugh at his reaction. Just _being_ around Courtney is elevating his mood. “That’s one way to put it,” he says, “Honestly, it was kind of spur-of-the-moment. I didn’t expect to actually see him again.”

“Well,” Courtney starts, and— he snorts. “You lived up to your promise.” He grins then, glancing back into the kitchen and crossing his arms as he leans on the doorway. “I’m almost done with dinner. I, uh—” He lets out a small, nervous laugh, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I called your mom for a recipe.”

At that, Jack gawks at him. “You what?” He says, “My _mother?_ What did she say? Better yet, what did _you_ say?” So many questions.

Courtney shrugs his shoulders. “I told her that we’re living together and I’m cooking for you,” he says, as if it wouldn’t have been a horribly obvious tell to their relationship. “She was real surprised, but— she got nice after talking to me for a while.”

Jack breathes out a small sigh of relief. “That’s good,” he says, “but maybe next time give me a warning before you decide to call my folks. They… didn’t exactly _know_ yet.”

“Oh,” Courtney says, and he winces. “Uh— sorry. I thought you were out to them.” He averts his gaze then, suddenly wilting under the weight of guilt.

Expression softening, Jack moves to cup Courtney’s face in his hands. “Hey, it’s alright,” he says, “It still went okay, didn’t it? That’s all that matters to me.”

Courtney leans into his touch, letting his eyes flutter shut. “Yeah,” he hums. “She mentioned something about—” Suddenly, his eyes snap open. He inhales and exhales a deep, deep breath. “Is, uh— your dad also accepting, or…?”

Jack is quiet for a moment, eyebrows furrowed in thought. “I’m not sure,” he says, “I hope so. Even if he’s not, though, he’ll probably at least… _tolerate_ me at my mother’s insistence. He doesn’t do anything without her permission.” He shakes his head and moves in to press a quick kiss to Courtney’s lips. “Listen, don’t worry about it. I guess they had to find out eventually that I wasn't going to marry some nice girl and give them grandkids. They’ve still got my sisters for that if they want them that bad.”

Courtney grins up at him, breathing out a little laugh. “What if neither of them like men?” His tone is obviously joking.

“Theresa’s got a fiancé,” Jack says, “Kitty… well, I don’t know about her. She’s always been kind of… _different,_ I guess. Eccentric. My folks could barely keep her in line.”

Courtney snorts. “Sounds like me,” he says, reaching up to brush a few strands of hair out of Jack’s face. His hand lingers for a moment, but regrettably, he pulls away. “I’ve gotta finish dinner, real quick. Then— do you feel like doing anything?” The question posed is innocent enough, but it could very well mean _anything._

Jack hums slightly, dropping his hands to Courtney’s waist and giving him another quick kiss. “I can think of one or two things,” he says, “but I’ll let you finish.”

Courtney just flashes him a smile, taking a step back and pivoting around on his heel. He returns to the stove, glancing from the meal he’s making to an exhaustive handwritten list of steps. Right as he’s getting focused, though, he feels Jack’s hands on his hips. Surprised, he glances back. “Jack—” He’s cut off by Jack burying his face in his neck, breath hitching at a hard bite. “I— I thought you said you’d let me finish.”

“I changed my mind,” Jack says, voice slightly muffled by Courtney’s skin. “You’re too cute. I love you so much.”

“And you’re too handsome,” Courtney responds on instinct, tilting his head so Jack has better access to his neck. “I love _you_ so much, Jack. More than you—” He inhales sharply at another bite, voice cracking. “— _know._ ”

All that gets him is yet another bite— and Jack pressing into him harder, his grip on Courtney’s hips tightening just enough. “Have I told you how much I enjoy it when your voice cracks?” He mumbles. It’s obvious there’s truth behind his words.

“No, but you’ve shown me,” Courtney says, and before he can even register what he’s doing, he’s reaching to turn off the stove. Once it’s off, he leans back just a bit, enjoying the firmness of Jack pressing into him. He hums softly, eyes fluttering shut. “What are you thinking about?”

“You,” Jack replies. He pauses to kiss Courtney’s neck. “Underneath me and gasping my name.”

That gets him. Courtney spins around to face Jack, suddenly pulling him into a passionate kiss and stumbling back until he feels himself hit the countertop. Jack wastes no time in getting into the rhythm of things, hands roaming. Briefly, and without warning, he rolls his hips against Courtney’s. Courtney lets out a sharp moan into Jack’s mouth in response, grabbing Jack’s hands and guiding them to the back of his thighs, just below his behind. He wants Jack to lift him onto the counter.

Jack pulls away. “Always so impatient,” he says, and he moves to heft Courtney up.

Courtney stifles a laugh. “ _I’m_ impatient?” He asks, hooking his legs around Jack’s hips and pulling him in even closer. There’s a mischievous glint in his eyes with his next words. “Look who’s talking.”

Scoffing, Jack rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t get so cocky,” he says, “I’m the one in control here.”

“Are you _really?_ ” Courtney teases, flashing him a devilish grin as he moves to start undoing Jack’s tie. “I’m always the one reminding you of dinner, telling you to take care of yourself, to go to bed…” He trails off, and that grin is back in full force as he pulls Jack in by his loose tie. “You’re only in charge when I let you be in charge, _Sergeant._ ”

For a minute, Jack just stares at him slack jawed. He opens his mouth to speak— decides to use it another way by capturing Courtney’s lips in his, hands going to push his jacket off of his shoulders. Courtney lets his jacket fall to the floor, tossing Jack’s tie with it. He goes for the buttons of Jack’s shirt next, fumbling a little due to how _distracting_ it is to have Jack’s tongue in his mouth. Stifling a laugh, Jack moves to help him with just a touch more dexterity. It isn’t long before Jack’s shirt joins the pile of clothes on the floor, and Courtney’s already going for his undershirt with greedy hands.

Pulling away again, Jack gives Courtney something of a smirk. He grabs his hands to still them. “Sorry, what was that about you being in charge?”

Courtney inhales sharply— now _he’s_ speechless. He manages to get one hand free and reaches out to cup Jack’s face, rubbing softly with his thumb. “I like to think of it as a power struggle,” he says, his hand sliding down to rest on Jack’s chest.

“That’s one way to put it,” Jack remarks. He leans in to close the gap once more— softly this time. When he pulls back, there’s nothing but adoration on his face. “And I’m not complaining, either.”

Courtney can’t help but smile, returning the look with twice as much sheer _love._ “Good,” he hums, dragging his hand down Jack’s torso and slipping under the hem of his undershirt. “I’d feel awful if you did.” He laughs quietly.

Jack hums and buries his face in Courtney’s neck again. “I love you,” he says, and he punctuates it with a bite before kissing the mark left behind, “I love you so much.”

Courtney stifles a quiet moan, removing his hand from Jack’s body and pulling him closer instead. “I love you too, but—” He breathes out a frustrated noise. “Come _on,_ I can barely take it anymore.”

“Say please,” Jack whispers, tone all-too-teasing.

Courtney scoffs, but it comes out as more of a weak sigh. He looks away, squeezing his eyes shut. “ _…Please,_ ” he says, finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jack is smirking again; it’s frustratingly attractive and definitely not helping. “Guess I can’t deny you any longer, then.”

That night, dinner goes cold.


End file.
